A Lot Like Christmas

Red, Harold, Ed and Dalton try to prepare Possum Lake for the Santa Claus Parade.

Cast (in order of appearance):, , , , , , , , ,

Segments: The Possum Lodge Word Game, If It Ain't Broke, You're Not Trying, Handyman Corner, Adventures, Red's Handyman Tips, The Experts

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Segment Summary
See also: Transcript

Plot: Red announces that the Santa Claus Parade is taking place today. Ed walks in, asking Red who will be Santa in the parade, with Red telling him that Moose Thompson will be Santa. Ed then takes off to get the reindeer, but not before telling Red that a hundred men are needed to pull Moose out of his truck. After he walks out, Harold walks in and asks Red if Santa will toss anything at the children, Red tells him that he's actually waving. Harold then tells Red that Santa tosses treats to the kids. He is then asked to go to Humphrey's Everything Store to see if Dalton has anything that Santa could toss. Dalton, though, can only give away up to seven cases of prunes for free. Ed then tells Red that he could only find four reindeer, therefore, a new Santa has to be found that's smaller than Moose. Eventually, Red becomes the parade Santa, however, is told by Ed that all of the prunes have been eaten by the reindeer. Harold is then asked if he can drive the Possum Van through the parade instead.

Opening Scene: Red uses a paper shredder to turn potato chip bags into tinsel.

The Possum Lodge Word Game: Dalton tries to guess the word "yule" to win a coupon for 150 botox injections.

If It Ain't Broke, You're Not Trying: Edgar brings in a jack-in-the-box and a teddy bear to show Red which one to give to his eight-year-old nephew as a gift.

Handyman Corner: Red comes up with a solution to handing out gifts by using a pipe organ.

Adventures: Red, Winston and Walter try to prevent a "Frosty the Snowman" display from melting by using a Zamboni.

Red's Handyman Tips: Red turns an old tire into a Christmas wreath by pasting used bows onto it.

The Experts: Red, Harold and Hap discuss the true existence of Santa Claus.

Trivia

 * The Adventures segment was filmed on the Westoby Ice Surface (which stands in for the Possum Lake Arena) at the Dundas Olympic Sports Park in Dundas, Ontario, a suburb of Hamilton, Ontario, where The Red Green Show was originally created. This is revealed through a Dundas Figure Skating Club banner that is clearly visible in the background, when Winston is hosing down the Frosty display.
 * This episode's The Experts segment is one of the only post-8th-season ones hosted by Harold.

Inside References

 * This is the fourth Christmas-themed episode, following It's A Wonderful Red Green Christmas in season 8, A Very Merry Red Green Christmas in season 10 and Xmas In July in season 11. This, however, is the first truly half-hour-long Christmas special (It's A Wonderful Red Green Christmas was originally broadcast as an hour-long special, but was edited into a half-hour special on DVD releases and on Youtube).
 * Harold and Red had previously discussed Santa's existence in the first The Experts segment in It's A Wonderful Red Green Christmas, in that case, it was with Mike Hamar and Dalton.

Real-World References

 * The title of this episode is likely based on the popular Christmas song It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.
 * Red also mentions the song in the opening scene.
 * In the Word Game, Dalton mentions Elmer Fudd, a major character in the Looney Tunes cartoons.
 * In the very next Adventures scene after the one featuring the Dundas Figure Skating Club banner, the top of a Pepsi vending machine is visible in the background as Red tries to stop the hose.
 * A Chrysler rim is part of the Christmas wreath that is made in the Handyman Tips segment.
 * In the same segment, Red mentions another automaker, Hyundai.
 * In The Experts, Hap mentions NORAD and how they were almost about to shoot an unidentified aircraft down on Christmas Eve 1963 when the aircraft was revealed to be Santa's sleigh.
 * NORAD does operate a website where visitors can track Santa's journey on Christmas Eve, NORAD Tracks Santa.

Fast Forward

 * One final Christmas special would be made in the 14th season, The Butter Man.